FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT NEW ZEALAND - PAGE 4

The West Indies threw away a dream start to crash to a humiliating nine-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the first Test at Hamilton last week. After the Barbadian pair of Sherwin Campbell and Adrian Griffith posted a record opening stand against New Zealand, 270, the West Indies appeared in command at close on the first day at 282-1. However, the Windies lost their last nine wickets for a mere 89 runs before New Zealand went on to take a slim first-innings lead. The collapse was mild in comparison to the debacle of the second innings, as West Indies lost two wickets without a run on the board and limped along to a paltry 97 all out, setting New Zealand the simple task of scoring 70 runs for victory, which they did while losing one wicket.

The mouse has roared from the beginning on the waters off Western Australia. Unlike the fictional island nation that declared war on the United States in The Mouse That Roared, the impertinent, upstart New Zealanders appear quite capable not only of sinking the American 12-meter navy but of giving Australia a serious run for the America`s Cup. Fresh off an unbeaten sweep through the second round of the Challenger Trials, New Zealand`s controversial fiberglass...

With the seamless directing, acting and storytelling of An Angel at My Table, New Zealand director Jane Campion moves into the front rank of filmmakers. This profoundly satisfying drama based on the autobiographies of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, born in 1924, follows her life from early childhood to middle age. It gives a rounded sense of the forces that shaped her into the awkward, bashful woman easily manipulated by others. It also shows how Janet`s talent for expressing herself in written words was nurtured.

NEW YORK -- A New York court issued a ruling Wednesday that could mean a return to the big-boat era in America`s Cup racing and force the next series to be held in 1988, three years earlier than expected. In a 19-page ruling handed down in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Justice Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick denied a petition by the San Diego Yacht Club, the holder of the Cup, to restrict the competition to 12-meter yachts. The ruling upheld a surprise challenge made in July by the Mercury Boat Club of New Zealand for a series of races against the San Diego club next summer.

The West Indies cricketers, led by captain Brian Lara, manager Clive Lloyd and coach Viv Richards on his first such assignment, are in New Zealand preparing for the two-Test series and five one-day Internationals. The touring party left London on Friday after Jimmy Adams, who captained the West Indies "A" team against India "A," and Darren Ganga, who played in that game, joined the squad. The West Indies opens on Friday with a one-day game against New Zealand's Black Maxx, to be followed by a three-day encounter with New Zealand "A."

The canary in the mine shaft stole the show from the Y2K bug as television welcomed 2000 with nothing but good news. Before dawn in America, ABC's James Walker reported from Auckland, New Zealand, that the world was using the first major population center to greet 2000 the way miners use canaries: as an early warning system for potential disaster. If New Zealand had problems, the world was in for an eventful day. Conversely, a lack of problems would be a positive harbinger. The canary sang nothing but sweet music, which continued as the sun passed over the globe, bringing 2000 to another region every hour.

When Dale Hulburt is trying to sell bottles of his wines imported from New Zealand to restaurants, he walks in wearing his Crocodile Dundee hat. "If I didn`t make myself different, they wouldn`t remember me," he said. Never mind that the popular movie character is from Australia, not New Zealand. But most Americans don`t really perceive New Zealand as distinct from Australia anyway, Hulburt said. And he`s already selling kiwi fruit -- kiwi fruit wine, that is. "People think of `Australia and New Zealand,"` he said.

MANILA, Philippines -- Secretary of State George Shultz told the prime minister of New Zealand on Friday that as a result of their governments` rift over nuclear policy, the United States no longer felt bound to come to New Zealand`s defense under the 35-year-old Anzus treaty. But the prime minister, David Lange, minimized the seriousness of the American decision, insisting it was meaningless since New Zealand faced no threat from anyone, and because the wording of the treaty made it clear that even in the case of a genuine threat to New Zealand, there was no automatic guarantee the United States would help.

"It turns like an aircraft carrier. When you tack, it just does this smooth banking turn. It`s awesome. Amazing." That is the first phone dispatch from Auckland by photographer Dan Nerney, who last Wednesday was invited for a ride on New Zealand, the 130-foot megayacht that will arrive in San Diego this May with designs on the America`s Cup. It is hardly overstating the matter to say that the Bruce Farr-designed New Zealand is by far the most sophisticated sailboat...